


Home Sweet Home

by Skullszeyes



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Joker (2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Violence, Business, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Laughter, Mild Blood, Murder, Not Beta Read, POV Male Character, POV Third Person Limited, Swearing, Trust Issues, Villains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:01:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22223740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skullszeyes/pseuds/Skullszeyes
Summary: Joker is trying to gain the trust of a mob boss.
Relationships: Oswald Cobblepot & Joker (DCU)
Kudos: 10





	Home Sweet Home

His leg bounced, his nerves wrung, his mind fixed on the man before him while he listens to the negotiations of his...peers. His lip twitched at the thought, and a bubble of laughter rises but does not form completely. He’s aware of the guns around him, the muscle hired by these dangerous people who were created by the city like he was. He isn’t interested all that much of their birth, it’s not like they cared about his.

The round, sluggish man with clammy grey skin, pale and deepened under the eyes turned his attention to him, and his leg stopped moving, his ears twitch at his name rising in the air.

“Joker,” the man addresses, his gaze upon him, the grime of this world has thickened inside his eyes for all to know the disgust he had grown up with, that had created him, He can see as clear as under these bright lights, a few flicker within the cold room, surrounded by concrete, and it stinks of raw fish, but he doesn’t comment on it, he has also known that same stench in different ways, in different places.

It’s quick, before he can open his mouth to speak, another man rises from his chair, the legs screech against the ground, and everyone’s staring upon him, waiting for him to interrupt. He isn’t even shy about it either, and because of this bold move, _Joker_ can’t help it, he smiles wide without uttering a laugh.

“You can’t honestly think you can trust this...clown!” This man is like any other who tried to swindle luck in their favor. He’s a tall man in his mid thirties with a ragged beard, a few old tattoos that have faded, and a few streaks of silver. Yet his eyes are fond upon his employer, and he teeth clench when they turn back to him, and there’s the same old disgust forming, yet it’s something else that isn’t completely like his or the one he’s hoping to speak to without the interruptions.

“Murphy,” another man says, hoping for his friend to shut up and sit back down.

“No,” their employer says, a hand in the air, shutting up the other, his eyes glint with interest and he smiles wryly, “I’d love to hear your opinion on Joker.”

“He came out of nowhere,” Murphy says, jaw clenched, eyes firm, “this clown shows up, he kills and destroys, and we’re supposed to listen to him! He’s…unpredictable. He killed your own men.”

“I’m quite aware of that without the reminder.” 

Murphy is rigid, his gaze falling to the cement, away from everyone else’s. “There’s something wrong with him. There’s rumors he escaped from Arkham…”

“One madman in the midst of others is not an excuse for interrupting my guest,” his employer snaps, his words almost a hiss, strange and foreign that it reminds Joker of an animal.

“We can’t take the risk that—”

“You’re right,” Joker says, fingers gripping the chair, his head tilted to the side, his smile wide, and eyes shining under the light that barely touched him, “why should you risk someone like me? I did you a favor in killing your _men.”_

Murphy is two steps toward Joker, and no one stands to stop him, but Joker isn’t expecting their help when a knife is already in his hand, not revealed to the people with their guns, and not to Murphy who leans down, hot breath stinking of old cabbage.

“Their deaths shouldn’t have been taken by you, clown.” Anger seethes off of him, but it’s not enough to truly take over the entire room.

“Your friends,” Joker said, rising from the chair, keeping his eyes on Murphy, “were in a bad position when I found them. Stealing from your employer, and gutting your clients. I did you a favor.”

Murphy’s hand is around Joker’s neck, but the knife in Joker’s hand is placed to Murphy’s side. “That isn’t for you to decide.”

“When they’re in my way, they are,” Joker said, and then he pushed the knife into Murphy’s side, and turned it slightly until Murphy is gasping, fingers tightening, and he’s ripped away from Joker and thrown to the cement.

“Enough,” their employer speaks, biting into a piece of fish from his plate while his body guards all have guns trained on the Joker who smiled down at the bloody knife. “Get Murphy out of here. There must be a reason why he’s trying to defend the ones who screwed me over!”

Murphy’s eyes widen, and his begs echo as they drag him out of the room, and only a few left are standing inside along with their boss.

“Joker,” the man raised his eyes to him, an ugly, oily gaze, “you better have been fucking right about those men.”

He chuckled at the switchblade as he stepped toward the man and his food. The guns are trained on him as he leaned down on the table, knife toward their employer who continues to chew.

“I did tell you I was right,” he moved the bloody switchblade back and forth, “I gave you proof for your loyalty, and I delivered for your trust.”

He grunts, spitting out a bone upon the glass plate. “You were right, I won’t deny that.”

Joker smiled wide, flicking the bloody switchblade closed and placing it inside his coat. “Then we have a deal, Cobblepot?”

The man stays fixated on him, before sniffling his nose. “You may have a section of my territory.”

“I want it in my name,” Joker tells him.

Cobblepot rolled his eyes. “If you kill anymore of my men, I will gut you myself.”

Joker laughed, “Of course, I just want a place to call home sweet home.”

Cobblepot, for once since they met, smiled, and let out a cackle, “It was nice working with you, Joker, I’m hoping sometime in the future, we have more fruitful business transactions.”

“As do I,” Joker said, he swiftly turned and walked toward the door drenched in darkness, his smile pulled at the corners of his lips, and the laughter that has bubbled inside of him releases out until the door closed behind him.

**Author's Note:**

> Not to sound self-deprecating, but this might be shit, but it was an idea that popped in my head. It was vague, so I quickly worked with what I had at this late hour. I guess I wouldn't mind writing Arthur Fleck/Joker speaking to the other villains who are rising up, but I don't know if I want to do that. :/ 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed.
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciative.


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